Stair tread



Patented Dec. 23, 1924.

NlTED lSTATES PAUL WALLISCH ANI) WILLIAM CHOT'I, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

STAIR TREAD.

Application led November 28, 19,23. Serial No. 677,451,

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, PAUL VALLISCH, a citizen of the United Sta-tes, residing at Brooklyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, and I, VILLIAM Ci-ro'r'r, a citizen of the United States, residing` at Brook-` lyn, county of Kings, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Stair Treads, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stair treads and has for one of its objects to provide a new and improved but simple and inexpensive construction of a neat, attractive appearance and of great durability.

Another object is to provide av new and improved method of constructing a device of this character by means of which the number of operations required to complete the finished article is reduced to a minimum.

For the accomplishment of these and such further objects as will be apparent to those skilled in the art to which this appertains, the invention consists in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts and of the method and manner of assembling said parts as hereinafter more specifically described, and as illustrated in the accomanying drawings forming a part hereof,

ut it will be understood that changes, variations and modifications may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of our invention. l

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a stairway showing a stair tread embodying our invention secured thereto.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of a stair tread showing the tread in its flat condition, some of the parts being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and f I Fig. 4 is a similar section of a fragmentary part of the tread showing it in its bent or folded final shape.

The construction of the tread will be more readily understood by describing the method of making the same. A backing 10, preferably consisting of a flat piece of fibrous board, such as commonly used for wall boards, is cut to the size required to produce the desired tread, and a groove or kerf 11 is cut into the backing to provide a folding line upon which the backing 10 may readily be folded to provide the tread and risers portions. A Sheet of heavy wrapping paper 12 is then pasted to the upper face of the backing to compensate for the weakening o-f the backing caused by the cutting of the kerfll and thereby to minimize the tendency of the backing board to separate along the line of the kerf 11.

A covering 13 of carpet or other suitable material is now sewed or otherwise secured along three of the edges of the backing board 10, which is punched or drilled out adjacent the edges to provide a plurality of holes 14, the punching or drilling of the holes 14v preferablyrbeing performed before the kerf 11 is cut.

The covering 13 is cut to a larger dimension than the depth of the device (i. e., the vertical dimension in Fig. 2 ofthe drawing) so as to provide a surplus of material.

' Two rows 15 and 16 of upholstery hair are placed between the backing board 10 and the covering 13, as shown in Fig. 4, so as to leave an unpadded space 17 adjacent the kerf 11 and at the same time take up the slack in the covering when the tread is in operative position, as sho-wn in said figure. The hair padding may be placed in position eitherv before Aor after the covering 13 is secured to the edges of the backing or the covering may be secured along one, two or three edges of the backing before the padding 15 and 16 is placed in position.

After the padding 15, 16 is placed in position, those edges of the covering which were left unsecured for the insertion of the padding are now sewed securely to the backing board. After the covering is secured along all four edges of the backing board the board is now folded up along the folding line made by the kerf 11, into the position shown in Fig. 4, the portion of the board cut out in producing the kerf, and the semi-flexible nature of the wall board, permitting it to be readily :folded into the condition shown. As the backing board is folded up into its final condition, the covering 13 will be forced into the space 17 left between the rows of padding, thus producing the re-entrant pocket or recess 18 clearly shown in Fig. 4. Because of the absence of padding along this portion of the tread and the surplus of material provided in the covering, considered in the direction of the depth of the tread, the covering assumes a smooth unwrinkled condition along the tread and riser portions, due to the tension produced by the packing, and the re-entrant pocket 18 is maintained by such tension Yand the fact that `the covering is secured -alo-ng each side and transverse edges of the backing, so that it is unnecessary to stitch or yotherwise secure thecovering vmaterial to form the pocket or maintain the severing in this shape. It will also :be yaipparent that bv forming the pocket 18 as shown, the entire surface ol ythe covering 13 will be exposed so that the same can be easily and thorougl'ily cleaned.

A binding 1'9 of any suitable metal such as aluminum is then crimped about the periphery of the device, vscrew holes 20 being provided through the binding and backing at the four corners of the device for holding it securely in po-sition on the stairs.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Pat-ent, is:

l. The method of making a padded stair tread 'havirrg tread and riser portions, which consists in cutting a kerl? in a semi flexible backing board of suitable dimensions, so as to provide a folding line. placing two rows of padding upon said bac-king board so as to leave an unpadded space adjacent said folding line, securing a covering to said backing board adjacent the periphery thereof, said covering having a surplus of material in the direction or the depth of said tread; and folding said backing board with the covering secured thereto so as to form a tread portion and a riser portion extending perpendicularly thereto, the surplus material of said covering being caused to form a .re-entrant pocket in the space between said rows of padding and said re-entrant pocket being maintained solelj7 by the pressure produced by said padding on said cove-ring.

2. A stair tread comprising a backing board having a tread portion and a rise-r portion, and a kerf dividing said tread and riser portions, a row of padding on each of said port-ions spaced to provide an unpadded portion adjacent said kerf and a covering secured to said backing board adjacent the side edges thereof, said covering having a surplus of material extending into the space between said padding` and forming a re-entrant pocket between said tread and riser portions.

8. A stair tread comprising a backing board having a tread portion and a riser portion, and a kerll dividing said tread and riser' portions, a reinforcing strip secured to said backing board adjacent said hert, a row Aor' padding on each of said portions spaced ytoprovi-de an unpadded portion adthereof, said covering having a surplus of material extending into the space between said padding and orming a re-entrant pocket between said tread and riser portions.

4. A stair tread comprising a baclqing board having a tread 'portion and a riser port-ion and a. herr dividing said tread and riser portions, a reinforcing strip secured to said backing board adjacent said kerl, a row of padding on each or' said portions spaced to provide an unpadded port-ion adjacent said kerll and a covering secured to said backing board adjacent the side edges thereof, said covering having a surplus oit material extending into the space between said padding and forming a re-entrant pocket between said tread and riser portions, and a binding of sheet metal secured to said backing board and covering and enclosing the edges thereof.

5. A stair tread, comprising a backing board, of semi eXible material, having a tread portion and a riser portion and kerl? dividing said tread and risery portions, a reinforcing sheet secured to said backing board and extending across said kerl?, a row oit padding on each of said portions spaced to provide an unpadded portion adjacent said kern? and a covering secured to said backing board adjacent the side edges thereof, said covering having a surplus er material extending into the space between said padding and forming a re-entrant pocket between said tread and riser portions.

6. A stair tread includinlg a backing board formed of a single piece of material and having tread and riser portions defined b v a kerf extending across-said board, a covering for said board and a padding for each of said portions, said padding being spaced from each other adjacent said kerf to permit of said portions being bent at angles relative to each other and also to allow said covering Ato enter the space between said padding when said portions are bent.

In testimony whereof we have affixed our signatures.

PAUL W'LLlSCll. YWILLL-ilrl CHOTT. 

